Katia_Quesadilla

I'm in Nagoya! I'll be heading home for Christmas as well, but I'll be back in the country by January 6th

Thanks for the support! So far, I'm feeling decent about this challenge--I'd say in I'm the B-/C+ range right now. I've been getting more sleep, which helps tremendously (though I pulled an all-nighter last night for karaoke purposes...), and I've been stretching every day. I go back and forth on my third goal--one day I'll be very good and the next I'll eat cake--but I've been eating salad for lunch every day and lots of other veggies, so I feel healthier overall. I haven't been doing well with doing something creative every day, but I'll get there. Baby steps.

I've tried two challenges before and failed both times. I get so caught up in weight loss disguised as trying to be healthier that it becomes an obsession that quickly overwhelms me. For the last few months, work has been insanely busy and I've been letting myself get more and more sleep-deprived. Since moving from Michigan to Japan last September, I've also developed some ongoing health problems that I've been trying to manage through diet and lifestyle. I don't know what's causing these issues--food, water, or a much busier lifestyle--but it's becoming more than I can handle. I think it really hit me today. I moved to Japan to see something of the world. I have a rare 3-day weekend and instead of having adventures, I spent the first day in bed because I was too worn down--body and soul--to do anything else. That is not normal, and it's not okay with me. I'm 23 years old. If I'm not healthy now, I never will be. MQ: Be a healthier, happier person. Goal 1: Get enough sleep. Until the past few months, this was always a priority for me. I can feel the change in myself since I started letting it slide, and it's not a good one. Goal 2: Get out my yoga mat every day. Even if I don't do any yoga or pilates, a stretch in the morning sunlight does wonders. Goal 3: Take care with what passes my lips. In the past, this has been for weight loss purposes. With my health problems, it is more serious now. Life Quest: do something creative every day, whether it's writing, playing piano, reading (for pleasure, not in Japanese), or dancing around in my underwear. I love my job, and I've been putting my heart and soul into it the last few months with little time for anything else. I need to take time to create something for myself. This challenge is about mental health, too. In my past challenges, I would check in multiple times a day, thinking that seeing that support system would help keep me on track, but it really just obsessively reminded me of the things I was trying to go without. This time around, I'll put a reminder in my phone to rate how I feel a couple times a week and avoid the boards until then. Grading will be an average of those ratings. I will have family visiting the last week of this quest, and I will be on a beach in Okinawa for the last two days of it. Hopefully, I will be feeling relaxed and accomplished.

I really like plain vegetables just steamed or grilled, but I've found lemon pepper to be a lifesaver on days when those seem too bland. It sounds too simple, but it makes a huge difference (in my mind, anyway).

Thank you Congratulations to you, too! It's a wonderful adventure, isn't it? I ended up having to take today off from strength training as well, as even standing with my knee was an effort after being up and down all day at work. Without getting too graphic, based on the amount of discharge and the pain level, it's definitely getting infected. I cleaned it out again tonight and put some honey on it, so it should (hopefully!) be loads better tomorrow. I'm feeling very frustrated right now, as my strength training was the part of my challenge I was doing best and I've had to miss it twice this week On a positive note, I DID make it through my day of fasting yesterday!

This was already a great quest, but it got awesome the minute I saw accordion Good job getting through Day 1!

That's so great; good for you! I recently pulled off 3 pushups in a row (a landmark for me), and it's amazing how much stronger they make you feel.

Reading your day-to-day details is so encouraging--it looks like you're well on your way to making these healthier habits second nature!

Well, my first week was decent, but not great. I DID make it through all three days of strength training, but I didn't do my cardio day. I only made it through one fast day I've decided to start out at 800 calories on fast day and work my way down to 500. So far, so good today. The scale says I gained 4 pounds last week, which was probably a couple real pounds and a couple pounds of water weight. I'm trying to get it back down to 134 for next week's weigh-in. I also took a nasty fall yesterday and banged up my knee. It doesn't feel seriously injured, but it's definitely badly bruised and has a lot of skin to regrow. I ended up climbing a mountain after I did it, so I gave it the night off from strength training. I'll try training again tomorrow to see if I can make it through the squats and lunges. If not, I'll focus on my upper body and stick to pilates for my lower half. That's so funny! I'm about 40 minutes west of Lansing, kind of right in the middle of Lansing, Kalamazoo, and GR. How about you? Yeah, I don't know why they're not showing up. Technology

I like your healthy mornings idea--it's an interesting way to approach a challenge. It's so exciting to hear you're teaching in Taiwan; I'm living the same life in Japan I feel you on the cheap, convenient breakfast pastries! Good luck avoiding them!

I think this is such a great quest! It's wonderful that you're in-tune enough with your body that you listened to it and are taking steps to help it heal. Feeling good is such a big part of fitness

The alternate day diet, wherein you eat around 500 calories or less every other day. I tend to eat close to nothing on down days, though; I get far too obsessive when I'm counting calories, so it's easier to just have nothing to count.

Update: I bought a scale today! Starting weight: 134.5 pounds.

Let me start by saying I’m not in terrible shape right now. I generally eat lots of fruit, veggies, and lean meats (though lately I've been eating ridiculous amounts of oatmeal), and I tend to walk wherever I want to go. However, I’m not thrilled with what I see when I look in the mirror, and I want to take better care of myself. Besides becoming a healthier person in general, my main motivation for joining this quest is getting in better shape for a new chapter of my life. I moved from Michigan to Japan in mid-September, and I'm trying to start over with a healthier lifestyle. I have fallen pretty much completely off the exercise bandwagon since moving. My diet here tends to be cleaner than it was in America, but I also eat out a lot more and don't control my indulgences as carefully. I'm also working around a gluten allergy, which is both easier and harder to do in Japan, depending on your approach. My first attempt at a NF challenge failed mostly because of poor timing (it was the month before I moved halfway around the world) but, because I am settled in in my new home now, I have high hopes for this round. MQ: Be able to do a handstand pushup (eventually, not by the end of this challenge). Goal 1: Do beginner’s body weight workout and/or pilates/yoga three times/week. Goal 2: Work up to doing cardio three times/week by the end of the challenge (so one/wk for first two weeks, then two for the second two, etc) Goal 3: Get back on board with my past love, intermittent fasting. Life Quest: Learn all the Grade 4 Kanji before the end of the quest Grading will be on the following basis: Strength--3 times a week x 6 weeks = an ideal 18 workouts A= 17-18 workouts B= 15-16 workouts C= 14-13 workouts F = Fewer than 13 workouts Cardio--1+1+2+2+3+3 = an ideal 12 workouts A= 11-12 workouts B= 9-10 workouts C= 7-8 workouts F = Fewer than 7 workouts Intermittent Fasting--3 days a week x 6 weeks = 18 fasted days A= 17-18 fasts B= 15-16 fasts C= 14-13 fasts F = Fewer than 13 fasts Life Quest: Pass/fail In the end, I will average the grades and, in the event rounding is necessary, use the Life Quest results to determine if I will round up or down. I am flying home for Christmas the day after the challenge ends, so my reward will be (moderate amounts of) the Christmas cookies waiting there! Starting STATs: Bust: 36†Waist: 28 1/2†Belly: 37†Hips/butt: 38 1/2†Weight: Unknown (I haven't bought a scale yet) The attached photos are from the beginning of my first challenge back in August. Since my measurements are the same, I figured I'd just reuse them

Posted in the wrong forum by mistake. Delete, please